By: William E. Hitchcock

This interpretive diorama depicts buccaneers of the Gulf Coast sailing for a safe anchorage aboard their weathered 10-gun brig La Tempête, c.1780. This vessel design was built along the hull lines of traditional American ‘Baltimore clippers’. These fast vessels constructed throughout the Atlantic coast between 1770 and 1815 had excellent sail-handling qualities. Some could be steered from a tiller above deck or below in the protected aft cabin. This brig has a hull length of 86’ a 20’ beam, a 10’ draft, and was approximately 144 tons. It is pierced with six ports, has three deck hatches, and a spike anchor windlass. The model is constructed of solid lindenwood with built-up bulwarks, laid decking, paper sails, brass cannons, and is artistically painted and authentically rigged per practices of the era. It also includes various hand-painted ‘work-action’ figures and a segment of a beach shoreline. The diorama is presented in a varnished teak base molding with outer inlay banding, and a glazed cover trimmed in brass.

Model type: Collaboration, Diorama
Scale: 3/16” = 1" Scale
Size: 31 1/2" x 19 1/2" x 18"
Class: A
Code: DIO 2302